“You don’t want me to send it in?”
I shook my head. “Please, no. I want to keep this one just for us if you don’t mind.”
Dusty smiled. “That was how I felt about it, too. I love sharing my words with people who will understand them, but I was only thinking of you with this one. Let’s keep it that way—yours and mine. Something we don’t share with anyone else.”
“Good. Because I’m not in a sharing mood right now. I just want you, and all of you, cowboy.”
“That makes two of us.” Dusty cradled my face again, those brilliant blue eyes drinking me in. He had a way of looking at me that made me feelseen. Understood. Valued and cherished and adored, and not for my hair or my eyes or my skin or my figure. But for who I was, with all my faults and mistakes; when I was tired and sore, when I was covered in dirt or grease from hard work, when I was bundled in my comfy lounge pants and just wanted to rest my head on his shoulder. He loved me through all of it, and I was blessed.
I stood on my toes and captured his mouth. I could kiss this sweet man all day—the way he let me show him what I wanted, then teased me toward the kind of desire I’d only ever experienced with him—I couldn’t get enough of the tender feeling of his lips against mine, the strong, patient hands caressing up and down my spine and the shy, crooked smile he always gave me when I pulled back just to gaze at him.
He was beautiful, from the inside out, and he was mine.
Dive into Luke and Audrey's story next, and keep up with the rest of the Walker family inTaming the Cowboy.
From our hearts to yours
Thankyouforspendinga little time with the family at Walker Ranch.
I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know everyone. I’d love it if you would share this family with your friends so they can experience life on the ranch with these swoony cowboys and sassy cowgirls. As with all my books, I have enabled lending to make it easier to share. If you leave a review forAn Angel for the Cowboyon Amazon, Goodreads, Book Bub or your own blog, I would love to read it! Email me the link [email protected]
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And now, keep reading for a sneak preview of Luke and Audrey's story!
Epilogue
Luke
Two weeks later
Well,thatwasit.My little brother and his new wife turned around, hand in hand, and beamed at the rest of us. Mr. and Mrs. Walker. Giddy and excited and about as sure of themselves as a pair of frisky young colts. They weren’t even looking at anyone but each other, and I only said what they were probably thinking.
I cupped my hands around my mouth. “Kiss her again, Dusty!”
They were both pink with embarrassment and giggling, but Dusty grabbed Jess and dipped her back for a kiss that made every cowboy in the room whoop and toss his hat in the air. Morgan was standing beside me, crying. Kelli was on the other side of me, bouncing up and down and taking pictures. But when the new couple finally came up for air and walked down the aisle—practically in each other’s shoes, not sure how they could have gotten closer—Morgan and Kelli turned to their own husbands.
That left me in the middle, the odd man out. Everyone in the room was talking over each other, laughing about how cute it was that Dusty had almost forgotten to repeat his vows since he’d been just staring at his bride with stars in his eyes. A few were wiping tears over the sentimental lines Jess had written to pledge to Dusty, and I overheard some comments about how the string lights I’d ordered online made our big old drafty barn feel like a swanky, upscale event center.
But no one was talking to me.
Served me right for sitting between two married couples. I ought to have plunked down next to Evan when all the fuss started, but I’d been ushing… is that the right word? Anyway, the seat I ended up with was right in the front row, between Morgan and Kelli.
I was probably supposed to help dismiss people after the new couple walked up the aisle, but there wasn’t any point by now. It was like a mob of wandering heifers, everyone converging into one spot and then just standing there talking and occasionally shuffling their feet toward the door.
I looked around and wandered out through another way. But nowhere was safe from the herd of chatty folks. It was a barn, not a cathedral with private halls. Not that I minded people. I like getting out on the town, and I’ll shoot the breeze with anyone, but when it’s a bunch of crying and gushing, I’m out. I headed for the stable and rolled aside the big door.
Confound it! I wasn’t the only one here. A bunch of kids ran up and down the barn aisle, blowing bubbles and shooting Nerf darts. Who on God’s green earth bought those stupid things?
Oh, wait. Those were my idea. But they were supposed to be popping them off at Dusty’s truck when he left, not spooking the horses! Darn kids.
“Hey, you!” I bellowed. Only one of them stopped. He stared at me, his mouth agape, and his Nerf gun dropped from lifeless fingers.
“You, kid! What’s your name?” I’d seen him before. He was that kid who’d brought Dusty the wooden sculpture of Duchess, but I’d never talked to him. And he wasn’t talking now, either. Just petrified to his spot like a lump of clay.
“I got you, Dustin!” shrieked a girl in a frilly pink dress. She raced by and pinged the kid on the side of the head about three times before she took off toward the tack room. Pretty good aim, actually.
Dustin finally blinked and put his hand to his cheek. He looked down and didn’t move again.